Improvement in sub-bass organ reed-boards



J. A. SMITH.

SUB-BASS ORGAN REED-BOARDS. No.183,718. Patented 0ct.24,1876.

' JJ LJLJUU MJ Q \C mm. m [1 1 $3 \mu m a U 5 &

ITNES S INVENTQR, J w/a5.

fiv 6964M, I ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. O C

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JOHN A. SMITH, OF NORTH' EAST, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUB-BASS ORGAN REED-BOARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,718, dated October24, 1876; application filed April 8, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. SMITH, of North East, in the county of Erieand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and valuable Improvementin Sub-Bass for Organs, and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis specification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a transverse verticalsection of my sub-bass for organs, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of theSame.

My invention relates to reed-organs; and it consists in the constructionof a manual subba-ss reed-board, and its arrangement directly over theordinary valves of the common reedboard, thereby doing away with thenecessity of special sub-bass valves, levers, and trackerpins, as willbe hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the ordinary reed-board, withvalves B.

To accomplish the object designed I construct my sub-bass reed-board oftwo separate boards, 0 0, containing alternate reeds D D of the sub-bassset, and these are arranged one on each side of a board or plank, G,containing a series of cells, a a, cut to exactly correspond with andfit over openings 1) I), cut from the valve-slots of the reed-board A upthrough the same. The cells a are made justv Wide enough to admit of thefree vibration of the reed-tongues into them, and serve as resonantsoundchambers, adding to the volume and purity of the tones.

The reeds D are so arranged as to alternate back and frontthat is, thefirst reed of the series or set empties its air into the resonant cellfrom the back side, and the second one from the front side, and so on,by which arrangement I am enabled to get the large and wide reeds of thesub-bass within the space (lengthwise of the instrument) allotted to theordinary reeds of the organ, and, consequently, directly over theordinary reedvalves. This arrangement, while it is accomplished at avery large saving of expense in construction, gives a sub-bass quickerof speed and better in tone, and almost entirely does away with theliability of the sub-bass to get out of order.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a reed-organ, the manual sub-bass reed-board, combined with andarranged directly over the reed-valves of the ordinary reed-board,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. In a sub-bass reed-board for organs, combined with and arrangeddirectly over the reed-valves of the ordinary reed-board, the cells orresonant sound-chambers a, arranged to alternate front and back, asshown and described, andfor the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. SMITH.

Witnesses:

R. S. PIERCE, A. M. FLETCHER.

